TESTER BIO
Name: Jennifer Williams
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m)
Weight: 120 lbs (56 kg)
Email: jensmail78 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Date: October 5, 2005

Backpacking Background:
I grew up camping and snowboarding, but I just started backpacking about two years ago. All of my trips have been one or two night stays. My trips normally range from coastal trails in the redwoods to mountainous terrain in the Sierra Nevadas. I tend to hike where I encounter rain and dampness. This year, I am looking forward to making some longer trips in northern California and gaining more experience. I am not a lightweight backpacker yet, but would like to reduce my current pack weight significantly.

PRODUCT INFORMATION:
Manufacturer: Mountain House
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL: www.mountainhouse.com

Chicken Polynesian
MSRP: $7.00
Listed Weight 4.7 oz (133 g)
Servings per container: 2
Prepared Serving Size: 10 oz (283 g)
Chicken, pineapple and peppers with rice in a sweet and sour sauce.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Rice
MSRP: $7.00
Listed Weight 6.1 oz (173 g)
Servings per container: 2
Prepared Serving Size: 10 oz (283 g)
Instant pork and rice smothered in a Hawaiian pineapple sauce.

Potatoes and Cheddar with Broccoli
MSRP: $5.00
Listed Weight 4.37 oz (125 g)
Servings per container: 2
Prepared Serving Size: 10 oz (283 g)
Potatoes with a blend of cheeses and broccoli.

FIELD INFORMATION

I have eaten each of these meals one time. All three of the Mountain House meals were used on a two night backpacking trip in Henry Coe State Park in central California. The elevation at both camps was 1200 ft (360 m), and evening temperatures were around 55 F (13 C). I used a butane backpacking stove to boil the required water in an aluminum pot.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Packaging:
Each of the three Mountain House meals were packaged in sealed plastic pouches. Each package states the name and description of the meal on the front and has full preparation instructions and nutritional information on the back. The pouches are not vacuum sealed and contain a small pouch of desiccant to absorb moisture that must be removed before preparation. The pouches are not safe to burn in a campfire and must be packed out.

Instructions and Preparation:
The instructions are almost identical for all three of these meals. The instructions are as follows. Expand the bottom of the pouch by pulling on the sides of the bottom of the pouch in order to enable the pouch to sit upright on its own. Open the pouch by tearing at a notch in the edge of the plastic. Once open, remove the desiccant. Carefully add a given amount of boiling water to the contents of the pouch and stir thoroughly. Re-seal the pouch with the zipper seal and let stand for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Mountain House recommends eating directly from the pouch. The amount of water varies between meals.

The instructions were easy to understand and follow. All of the pouches stayed upright while I poured the hot water in and re-sealed the tops without problems. None of the packages leaked during the preparation and they were durable enough to withstand the plastic forks and spoons that were used to stir and eat the contents. We ate all of the meals directly out of the pouches. This was convenient because we did not have to dirty extra bowls or pots, but our hands and sleeves got a bit messy because the bags are too deep to reach the food with average sized utensils. Thus, we ended up sticking our hands into the pouches to reach the bottom. It is also slightly difficult to see into the pouches when scooping up a bite or assessing how much food is left.

Food Quality and Taste:
I found all three of these meals to be surprisingly tasty and filling. I had never used packaged backpacking meals before and assumed they would not be that flavorful. All of the meals re-hydrated within the recommended time and had a nice texture without feeling mushy or slimy. The Potatoes and Cheddar even turned out well despite my forgetting to stir them after adding the water. I remembered after about five minutes and re-opened the package and stirred them. At that point they had a few large clumps, but after I stirred them and let them sit for the remaining six minutes they were smooth and creamy.

The chicken and pork dishes were very flavorfull and had a nice mix of meat and vegetables cut into small pieces among the rice. The Sweet and Sour Pork had a little too much sauce, but it tasted good, so we didn't mind much. It was nice to have meat that was not jerky while backpacking.

The Potatoes and Cheddar with Broccoli was definitely our favorite meal. It was very yummy and the cheese hit the spot after a long hike. We ate this on the first night with the Sweet and Sour Pork and we were both so full that we couldn't finish the pork. This is impressive considering that my boyfriend can eat his weight in food on a normal day, let alone after backpacking 7 miles (11.3 km). We ate the Chicken Polynesian by itself on the second night and still felt satisfied without being overly full. These meals definitely seemed like a luxury item while backpacking for multiple days and not having to prepare anything in advance.

SUMMARY

Overall, we enjoyed all of the meals from Mountain House. They were not gourmet but were very tasty compared to other instant meals I have tried from the grocery store. We had no problems during preparation and found the meals filling and satisfying after multiple days of long hikes. My boyfriend tends to be a picky but ravenous eater and I will definitely bring more of the Mountain House meals on future trips to satisfy his hearty appetite.

Likes:
*Preparation was extremely easy and cleanup was minimal
*Food was tasty without requiring extra seasoning
*Lightweight and easy to pack

Dislikes:
*Pouches are too deep to reach the bottom without sticking my hand inside the pouch
*The edges of the pouches are sharp enough that they poked holes in the trash bag
*Pouches are not burnable and must be packed out

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